One of the most exciting bits of news to come out about the upcoming ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ crossover event happening this year on the CW is the fact that Brandon Routh will be playing Superman once again, albeit an older one who may not feel the same as the last time Routh wore the costume. And believe it or not, it was not as simple as just asking Routh if he wanted to do it, as the producers of the Arrowverse had to work very hard to get everyone at Warner Bros and DC on board with the idea, though they did have some help.
According to Producer Marc Guggenheim, legendary Comic Book Artist Jim Lee has been a key player in helping the Arrowverse negotiate with WB and DC for what characters they can use, most recently with getting everyone to agree on Brandon Routh playing Superman once more.
“It’s never legal wrangling. It’s the usual dance we do when we’re trying to access characters from the DC universe outside of the Arrowverse. So it’s just conversations. I will tell you, Jim Lee was incredibly instrumental in those conversations. It’s funny, I don’t think of it as legal wrangling so much as diplomacy and Jim was amazing, and such a gentleman about it, a real advocate for the shows, a real advocate for the studios. I have to say it was really painless.”
When asked whether Routh donning the cape means this is a continuation/sequel of ‘Superman Returns,’ Guggenheim was hesitant to put that exact label on the situation, stating:
“I don’t know if it’s for me to say. We’re picking up so many years after the events of that movie, maybe a coda is a better word than sequel.”
RELATED: Brandon Routh Will Be The ‘Kingdom Come’ Superman In The ‘Crisis On Infinite Earths’ Crossover
Of course, Routh is not the only exciting addition to the multiverse for the crossover event. They have also cast Kevin Conroy to play an older Bruce Wayne (Batman), which is exciting for anyone who is a fan of the original ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ (like me) and thinks of Conroy’s voice as THE voice of Batman. In addition, there have been rumors about whether or not Helen Slater, who played Supergirl in the original 1980’s’ Supergirl’ movie, and is in ‘Supergirl’ as Kara’s adopted mother, might get to play an older ‘Supergirl’ during the crossover, which has a lot of fans excited. According to Guggenheim:
“I feel like at this point, we’ve covered the waterfront in terms of we’ve talked about every person who’s been in a DC property in live-action, and with Kevin [Conroy] in animation. Everything is possible. I happen to love the Supergirl movie and I remember the first time I saw it. I would love for her to reprise her role. We’re feeling out a lot of our various parameters in terms of what can we afford and what do we have story for? Can this be a cameo? Can this be a full on story? It’s just this ongoing conversation. we started the crossover earlier than we ever have precisely so we could have these conversation.”
Are you excited to see Routh back as Superman, continuing the story from ‘Superman Returns?’ What would you think of Helen Slater putting on the cape again for the Crisis on Infinite Earths? Sound off below with any thoughts or theories you might have!
Source: /film
